The Man Who Knew Infinity—
Who was Srinivasa Ramanujan?

Program Description

Presented At

Film Synopsis

A true story based on the life of math genius Srinivasa Ramanujan and Professor G.H. Hardy, who recognized Ramanujan’s brilliance despite the latter’s lack of formal training and education.

During World War I, Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel), a self-taught Indian mathematics genius travels to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he forms a bond with the eccentric professor G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons), and must fight against prejudice to reveal his genius to the world.

About the Speaker

Dr. Amites Sarkar is an associate professor of mathematics at Western Washington University. He received his doctorate from Trinity College, Cambridge, the setting and filming location for part of The Man Who Knew Infinity. Many years ago, he reviewed movies for a small student-run publication called Sprocket.

Dr. Stephanie Treneer is an associate professor of mathematics at Western Washington University. Her doctoral thesis at the University of Illinois was related to one of Ramanujan’s famous results about partitions of numbers. Her research interests include modular forms, number theory, and the theory of partitions.

Dr. Regina Barber DeGraaff currently teaches physics and astronomy at Western Washington University (WWU). Her research is focused on photometric studies of incredibly old and dense star clusters, called globular clusters. She studies globular cluster systems to assist a better understanding of galaxy formation. In the 2015/2016 academic year, Dr. Barber DeGraaff became the first STEM Diversity and Outreach Specialist at WWU. She is also the host of the radio show & podcast Spark Science, a talk show which strives to make science accessible and approachable. She received her PhD from Washington State University.

An initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.